En kolonial elits sista strid

Tyskbalternas sommartillvaro vid Rigaschen Strand runt sekelskiftet 1900

Abstract

The Baltic Germans constituted a colonial elite within the Baltic provinces of the Russian Empire, but at the turn of the 20th century their elite position was increasingly challenged. A major part of the Baltic German bourgeoisie in Riga spent their summers at Rigaschen Strand, a string of bathing resorts just outside the city. The spatial and social boundaries that constituted Rigaschen Strand as place also became challenged, pushing the Baltic Germans into a defensive position. Preserving the custom of bathing in the nude with its inherent strict gender separation became a symbolic issue among the Baltic German bourgeoisie who in the intersection between class and ethnicity strove to safeguard their elite position against other ethnic groups and social classes. In these conflicts and boundary-drawing processes regarding the place of Rigaschen Strand, the Baltic Germans’ colonial self-perception becomes evident. At the same time, the struggle was clearly enacted in the arena of gender relations and formulated with gender-infused arguments.